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Open the Door and See All the People
After losing everything they own, including their dolls, when their house burns down, two sisters learn about a place where they can adopt dolls.
- GenresChildrens
69 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Clyde Robert Bulla
108 books103 followersBorn to be a Writer
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”
First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but plays and poetry, too. After years of gathering editor's rejection slips, Mr. Bulla sold a magazine story, then several more. Soon after, Mr. Bulla wrote a novel and a publisher accepted it.
The Difficult Years
In the excitement of publishing a novel, Mr. Bulla wrote two more books. Unfortunately, no one wanted to publish them. His luck took a turn for the worse when the publisher of his first book went bankrupt. For several years, he worked at a local weekly newspaper where he struggled with linotype, kept books, collected bills, and wrote a weekly column.
Success!
A couple of Mr. Bulla's weekly columns caught the attention of a well-known author and illustrator of children's books. She wrote to Mr. Bulla, suggesting that he try writing a children's book. He immediately sent her a manuscript for a children's book he'd written a year before. Within one week, an editor of a New York publisher read the manuscript,and it was accepted. The book was The Donkey Cart, published in 1946. Since then, Mr. Bulla has written over twenty books for children, as well as the music for several children's song books.
About The Chalk Box Kid
“When I was young,” explains Mr. Bulla, “I sometimes found it hard to cope in new surroundings, and I was apt to get off on the wrong foot. This is the story of a boy who got off on the wrong foot in a new school and how he tried to cope.” In describing the chalk garden, Mr. Bulla says, “I gave Gregory something I've always wished for: a big, blank wall that I could cover with my own drawings.”
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”
First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but plays and poetry, too. After years of gathering editor's rejection slips, Mr. Bulla sold a magazine story, then several more. Soon after, Mr. Bulla wrote a novel and a publisher accepted it.
The Difficult Years
In the excitement of publishing a novel, Mr. Bulla wrote two more books. Unfortunately, no one wanted to publish them. His luck took a turn for the worse when the publisher of his first book went bankrupt. For several years, he worked at a local weekly newspaper where he struggled with linotype, kept books, collected bills, and wrote a weekly column.
Success!
A couple of Mr. Bulla's weekly columns caught the attention of a well-known author and illustrator of children's books. She wrote to Mr. Bulla, suggesting that he try writing a children's book. He immediately sent her a manuscript for a children's book he'd written a year before. Within one week, an editor of a New York publisher read the manuscript,and it was accepted. The book was The Donkey Cart, published in 1946. Since then, Mr. Bulla has written over twenty books for children, as well as the music for several children's song books.
About The Chalk Box Kid
“When I was young,” explains Mr. Bulla, “I sometimes found it hard to cope in new surroundings, and I was apt to get off on the wrong foot. This is the story of a boy who got off on the wrong foot in a new school and how he tried to cope.” In describing the chalk garden, Mr. Bulla says, “I gave Gregory something I've always wished for: a big, blank wall that I could cover with my own drawings.”
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 6, 2017
This is one of the sweetest stories ever put into print.
A young widow and her two daughters lose everything except for the clothes on their backs when their house burns down. Mama has no choice but to hop on a bus with her girls and try to eke out a living in the Big City.
Jo and Teeny have a hard time adjusting to the changes. Both girls miss their dolls so much. I love how Mama sympathizes with her daughters when she realizes how much they miss their dolls. Rather than chastising them, she acknowledges that it's okay for children to need toys. I also thought it was touching how Jo was protective of her little sister and her mother.
The girls gradually make friends with other children in the neighborhood and discover a toy library. Their dreams come true when they learn that it's possible to adopt their favorite dolls and keep them forever. Will they ever be able to get the dolls they miss so much? Read it for yourself.
It's a beautiful story about the generosity of others. It goes a step further and showcases the pure gratitude of those who receive the fruits of such kindness, a welcome change from today's world in which people feel entitled to X, Y, and Z simply for having teeth in their heads.
And you know what? It's okay for children - and their parents - to need a toy to call their own.
December 6, 2021
I loved this story as a kid. I read it several times. I’m 49 years old and still have it ❤️
June 26, 2021
B-. fiction, children's fiction, grade 2, girls, dolls, city, move, homesick, from stash, discard
January 29, 2024
JoAnn's father is dead. JoAnn, her mother and her sister, Teeney, live on a farm. When the farmhouse burns down, Mamma moves them to the city where they rent a small house. Mamma gets a job as a maid in a hotel. With little money, they can't replace the things that were lost in the fire. JoAnn and Teeney miss their dolls. When they hear about The Toy House, they are eager to go there. The Toy House, like a library, lends toys. Mamma takes the girls, and they each find a doll to love. When they find out that they can adopt them, they are determined to do it. For six weeks they take very good care of the dolls. Then, tragedy strikes. The neighbor's dog licks the face off of Teeney's doll. She takes her back to The Toy House fearing that she won't be able to adopt her after all.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
August 15, 2016
This book was among a stash of hundreds of kids books from the 1970s and 1980s found in the attic of my current house. I am slowly going through them and sorting out the good from bad. This was a heartwarming story of a charity toy shop and one family that benefits from the free dolls. Not at all maudlin but truly sweet.
August 7, 2014
The beginning is a bit traumatic because it starts with the house burning down, but after that, it is a sweet story about little girls who love their dolls.
August 9, 2020
3.5
This was a quick, fun read for girls (or boys, I suppose) who love dolls. I know I would have liked it.
This was a quick, fun read for girls (or boys, I suppose) who love dolls. I know I would have liked it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews